2020 Mullineux Iron Syrah Swartland Mullineux Wines

The 2020 Iron Syrah is firm with a youthful grip and offers aromas of crushed red berries as explosive florals erupt from the glass. This is instantly the champion of the soil series range this year. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is electric in the mouth and jumps to life as it excites the palate with precision, complexity and finesse. It explodes with beauty and balance and continues to reveal its secrets over the long, lingering, ever-evolving finish. Absolutely stellar!

Always served last of the trio of soil-specific Syrahs from the Mullineux, Iron is the most shuttered, dense and backward wine, or, if you prefer, the most Cornas-like. Compact, chewy and made to age, but there's a lot of charm below the tannic carapace. Ferrous and dark, with damson and black fig intensity.

A lovely herbal nose of rosemary, sage, pine and crushed blackberries. Full-bodied with so much to unpack. Complex, intense and long but no overdone one bit. So transparent and clear but incredibly savory and deep. Bergamot. A pleasure. Best after 2024.